Extremely Dry Mouth

[ECUPirate]

Hey guys, I’m new here. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in June of this year. I started having trouble staying asleep, and I always felt like I just worked out even after a full nights sleep (usually 8-10 hours, I used to love to sleep).

Fast forward to August and I finally got a CPAP. Took about a week or two to notice a difference, but it was night and day. My only issue is that I wake up with a mouth dryer than the Sahara desert every morning. I wear a full face mask, as I couldn’t exhale with a nasal pillow during my sleep study, and when I finally fell asleep the tech came in and switched to a full face mask. I just naturally breathe through my mouth at night. I use the humidifier every night, and tried adjusting the settings but when I did it somehow turned the auto ramping off. Am I just doing it wrong?

To explain how bad the dry mouth is, one night this week I had a dream I was eating mulch and straw (weird I know). In the dream I was trying to get it out of my mouth bc it hurt and felt like it was scratching my mouth, but it was endless. I woke up and my mouth felt that way in reality, and my tongue was so dry it had cracked and was bleeding.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

When you have time you might edit your equipment profile and just omit the Humidifier choice. Right now you are showing the H4i and that is a very old humidifier. Actually you don't need to choose a humidifier since your machine has one built in and we all know it.

Dry mouth is a common complaint even with full face mask users using maximum humidity. The humidifier was designed for the nasal cavity humidification and not the much larger oral cavity. Sometimes it just can't crank out enough added moisture to hydrate the oral cavity because some people just get a dry mouth much worse than others for various reasons.
Mouth breathing dries the mouth out. Medications dry the mouth out. Some people just get a dry mouth for no real reason.

If maximum humidity doesn't resolve the issue then you probably need to add some sort of hydrating agent to your routine at bedtime.
There are many products available and people just have to try them until they find one that works the best for them.

[zonker]

Hey guys, I’m new here.

you're in good hands with pugsy, so i have nothing to add to her advice. she mentioned using something at bed time to help get that saliva going. may i recommend xylimelts?

it's a lozenge that you place between teeth and cheek. it has a slightly sticky side that helps it adhere to your teeth. it stimulates saliva through the night as it melts away.

can be found at local drug or grocery sores. i've seen it in both rite aid and cvs in the oral care section.

good luck!

oh and i almost for got. welcome to the zoo!

[raisedfist]

I have the same problem with dry mouth when it comes to using a full face mask. I've tried a heated hose on auto humidity and temp as well to not much avail. I just try to make sure to drink a decent amount of water between dinner and bed time, and also brush my teeth before bed.

[katebrownell86]

I am glad to attain this thread. From few days I am also experiencing dry mouth. I will apply the tricks shared by others.

[ChicagoGranny]

katebrownell86

Welcome! Please fill out your equipment profile - https://www.cpaptalk.com/ucp.php?i=prof ... pment_info

[zonker]

I am glad to attain this thread. From few days I am also experiencing dry mouth. I will apply the tricks shared by others.

please come back to this thread and tell us what worked for you.

[TropicalDiver]

Here is my list of tips for a dry mouth while using a full face mask:

a) Stay generally hydrated
b) Crank the humidity to max settings (humidifier and heated hose) -- not auto.
c) Minimize any mask leaks.
d) Consider a mouth guard (it causes some to salivate more).
e) Consider something like a biotene spray before bed or the item mentioned by Zonker

If all of this fails, then I would look at trying to keep my mouth closed even in FF mask. Chin straps and the like.

[ChicagoGranny]

b) Crank the humidity to max settings (humidifier and heated hose) -- not auto.

Be careful with that one. It could make dry mouth worse. Many people report increased nasal congestion when the humidity setting is above a certain level. Nasal congestion can lead to increased mouth breathing.